George David Weiss

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George David Weiss, American songwriter (born April 9, 1921, New York, N.Y.—died Aug. 23, 2010, Oldwick, N.J.), composed some of the greatest pop hits of the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, notably “What a Wonderful World” (1967; with Bob Thiele), which was recorded by Louis Armstrong and featured in the filmGood Morning, Vietnam (1987). Weiss studied music theory at the Juilliard School, New York City, and served as a bandmaster in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war the multi-instrumentalist (piano, violin, saxophone, and clarinet) embarked on a songwriting career and collaborated with composer Bennie Benjamin to write three number one hit songs in 1946: “Surrender,” “Rumors Are Flying,” and “Oh, What It Seemed to Be,” sung by Frank Sinatra. He achieved his crowning success, however, when he co-wrote “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (1961), which became a top hit and later was featured in the 1994 Disney film The Lion King, and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961), made popular by Elvis Presley in the film Blue Hawaii (1961). Weiss also collaborated on the Broadway musicals Mr. Wonderful (1956), First Impressions (1959), and Maggie Flynn (1968) and wrote numerous movie scores. In his role as president (1982–2000) of the Songwriters Guild of America, Weiss advocated on behalf of composers for more stringent copyright protection. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.